Metabolomics of Thyroid Hormones

The aim of this study is to develop a metabolome signature of thyroid hormone status. The metabolome signature could be useful in diagnosis and treatment of thyroid dysfunction diseases, especially in cases where TSH cannot be reliably used.

Primary Hypothyroidism is a frequent endocrine disorder, where the thyroid gland does not produce sufficient amounts of thyroid hormones. The substitution therapy is guided by measurement of the pituitary gland hormone thyrotropin (TSH). Patients with central hypothyroidism in whom pituitary insufficiency leads to hypothyroidism, TSH cannot be used to guide therapy. So far there are no reliable methods for therapy control in patients with central hypothyroidism. The measurement of small endogenous metabolites might give investigators a metabolomics profile. This could help to discriminate between euthyroid, hypothyroid and hyperthyroid state and therefore could be used for diagnosis and therapy control of thyroid dysfunction diseases.